What Employers Should Know About Wage Garnishment CalChamber Executive Vice President and General Counsel Erika Frank talks with employment law expert Jennifer Shaw about responsibilities employers have when served with a wage garnishment order for an employee. “It’s basically like having a court order you to appear at jury duty…or to come to a hearing on a traffic ticket. It’s not a request. It’s an order,” Shaw says. [California Chamber of Commerce]

California Rent Cap Bill AB 1482 Passes State Legislature The California Assembly voted 46-22 Wednesday, Sept. 11, to approve the state Senate version of Assembly Bill 1482, sending to the governor’s desk a bill that would cap rent hikes throughout the state at 5% plus inflation, up to a maximum of 10% a year, while protecting tenants from orders to vacate without “just cause.” [OC Register]

Choosing Unpaid Time Off Instead of Using Vacation TimeMy employee asked for a few days off for a vacation with her family but wants to take it unpaid rather than using the vacation time she has accrued. Can I require her to use her paid vacation time before taking unpaid time, or does she have the right to save her vacation time to use in the future?

Guard Your Company Against Employee Ghosting As the unemployment rate in California remains low, a new phenomenon in recruiting and hiring is taking hold. Called “ghosting,” this term is most common in the dating world, but in the working world, it’s when job seekers abruptly cut off contact with employers and vanish. [HR Watchdog]

Southern California Bosses Giving Nation’s Biggest Pay Hikes, by This Math The Employment Cost Index measures what workers cost bosses. This math shows wages and salaries rising at a 4.3% annual rate in the 12 months ended in June in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties. That’s the fattest of wage hikes among the 15 regions tracked across the nation. No. 2 was New York at 3.9%. [OC Register]

Small Business Index Hits Record High Amid Mixed Economic Signals You could easily get confused by the latest economic data. But one thing is clear: the country’s small businesses are experiencing record-high outlooks of their own business health and the general business environment. This quarter’s MetLife & U.S. Chamber of Commerce Small Business Index is up to 70.7, marking the highest number for the Index since its inception in early 2017. [U.S. Chamber of Commerce]

Expanding into the Arctic: The Next Frontier in Maritime Trade On September 25, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Procurement and Space Industry Council is hosting a wide-ranging roundtable discussion on the economic importance of global maritime commerce and the critical role of the U.S. Coast Guard in maintaining the safety and security of America’s waterborne trade and travel industries. Experts will talk about the exciting innovations in maritime trade, and the challenges and benefits facing the industry as it expands into the Arctic. For the full agenda or to register, visit here. [U.S. Chamber of Commerce]